WWE Battleground 2014 Results and Recap: Cena Retains, Miz Wins

WWE served up a cold appetizer to the biggest party of the summer, Battleground 2014. A disappointing show will be remembered for a bait and switch along with a predictable result in the main-event that should culminate with the Authority’s Plan C at SummerSlam. Quite honestly I can’t think of another WWE PPV this year as lackluster as Battleground.

Battleground was a show you can feel free to miss if you were planning on watching the replay. It played out like a lot of WCW shows in the late 1990s with predictable results and the most anticipated match on the card not even taking place. It was surprising to see the WWE fail to deliver a decent show considering the amount of six-month subscriptions coming due on the WWE Network. Hey, at least nobody will remember this show after Brock Lesnar shows up on RAW Monday night.

John Cena retained the WWE world title in a decent yet forgettable match. Roman Reigns was showcased here with several close call pin attempts. The crowd was quiet until Reigns got going. Cena and Reigns teased a confrontation throughout the match. They finally went at it and it ended with Reigns hitting a Superman punch and a spear. Kane wound up breaking up Reigns cover attempt. Reigns flurry of offense following this finally got the crowd into the match. Reigns hit a spear on Kane which was broken up by Cena. Reigns and Cena broke up pin attempts by the other. Cena hit an AA on Reigns which was broken up by Kane. Cena wound up hitting an AA on Randy Orton on top of Kane for the pin.

I saw the usual complaints on Twitter but it was the only finish that made sense. If the plan is still to put the WWE title on Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, I see no problem with the finish. It would have done more harm than good to put the belt on Reigns and have him lose it a month later to Brock. Say what you will about Cena but he and Brock had a heck of a match the last time out at Extreme Rules 2012. I see no reason they can’t do the same again, especially since Brock has shaken off the ring rust since then.

Dean Ambrose attached Seth Rollins during a promo earlier in the night. Triple H threw Ambrose out of the building. Rollins was originally awarded a win in his match via count out. Ambrose wound up running out as Rollins walked to the back. They brawled around the building. Security pulled Ambrose off of Rollins. Triple H ordered Ambrose out of the building. About a dozen officials tried separating them. Triple H held up Rollins arm as Ambrose was taken out.

Ambrose later attacked Rollins in the parking lot. Security escorted Rollins out of the building. Rollins told them he was okay and Ambrose popped out of the trunk of a car and attacked Rollins yet again. Rollins eventually got into the car and sped off as JBL called Ambrose a “maniac.”

I get it and it was definitely different but I don’t know how you can pull this on a pay-per-view/special event. This kind of finish was okay on a RAW but if you look down the card this was probably the biggest draw on the show. There were rumors about Rollins injuring his knee on RAW this past Monday night. The WWE shut them down yet I have to wonder if there was some truth to the rumors. I can’t imagine any reason other than an injury to Rollins or Ambrose for failing to deliver such a big match.

I have to comment on the Rusev vs. Jack Swagger match. I think that the WWE misplayed their hand here. They obviously sensed the momentum on Monday night and thought that they caught lightning in a bottle. Unfortunately that was not the case and as hot as the angle was on RAW, the heat for the match and Swagger were just average. Rusev unable to defeat Jack Swagger decisively is not what you want to see from a guy that is expecting a huge push in the fall.

Chris Jericho pulled off an upset and defeated Bray Wyatt. They had the match of the night in my opinion. It wasn’t that the match was so great as it was more a result of the weak competition on the show. Rowan and Harper were ordered to the back after excessive interference. Jericho hit the code breaker out of nowhere for the win. It was reminiscent of the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar finish in that nobody expected that pin to end the match. That now makes two losses in a row for a guy that is supposed to be a big part of the future of the company. I am not sure I would have booked the same finish but at least these guys will probably go another round at SummerSlam.

Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.

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